Thiruvananthapuram: Questions are being raised about the position the state government will adopt when the Sabarimala women’s entry case is heard again by the Supreme Court on Monday (16 February).

The Supreme Court’s verdict of 28 September 2016 was delivered while the Pinarayi Vijayan government had submitted a stance supporting the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple. However, the issue later became politically sensitive, particularly after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which the Left Democratic Front (LDF) faced significant setbacks. Subsequently, both the government and the LDF appeared to adopt a more restrained public approach to the matter.

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There has been no formal announcement indicating a change in the government’s or the CPI(M)’s position on women’s entry. At the same time, there have been no recent public statements actively advocating for it. The government has previously stated that it would clarify its stand before the court when required. That stage has now arrived.

Following the 2019 elections, the CPI(M) maintained that the government had implemented the Supreme Court’s order as it was constitutionally obliged to do so. Party leaders acknowledged that the manner and pace of implementation had generated public reaction. In the period that followed, no women entered the Sabarimala temple.

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After P.S. Prashant, who joined the CPI(M) after leaving the Congress, became President of the Travancore Devaswom Board, he stated that the affidavit submitted in support of women’s entry would be reviewed. At the time, Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan said the issue was not under immediate consideration.

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When plans were announced to hold the Ayyappa Sangamam, the opposition reportedly set the withdrawal of the affidavit supporting women’s entry as a condition for its cooperation. The government did not issue a specific response on that demand. Its position so far has been that the matter would be addressed during the hearing of the review petitions before the Supreme Court.

According to government sources, even if the case is taken up for hearing on Monday, there may not be an immediate requirement to present a revised position.